Dressed To Impress
by Eyesinthenight102
Summary: Aurora is in search of a new dress for a mysterious important event! Will her Storybrooke friends come through to help make the night special? (Sleeping Warrior/Mulora) A quick one-shot prompt given by siddymouche on Tumblr. AU: Aurora and Mulan came with Snow and Emma through the portal to Storybrooke.


Dressed To Impress

_A quick crack-fic one-shot prompt given by siddymouche on Tumblr. AU: Aurora and Mulan came through the portal to Storybrooke with Emma and Snow._

Aurora shifted, nervously, turning in front of the looking glass and adjusting the folds of the dress she loved so dearly. The old lilac fabric was composed of flawless fine silks and stylish beading, but many days of travel in the wilds of the Enchanted Forest had left it in great disrepair. The hem was torn and tattered, and in some places the delicate lining was nearly wearing through.

Silently Aurora wrinkled her brow, appraising herself in the mirror. This would never do. Not for tonight.

She sighed, sitting down on the small bed of her temporary lodgings to think. Granny and Ruby had been more than generous to offer her a place to stay when she and Mulan had come through the portal less than a week ago, but some of the finer matters of this realm eluded her. Clothes, for one, were of a great vexation.

She had borrowed a few t-shirts and jeans from Ruby's kind friend, Belle, but apart from these simple articles, she owned nothing but her shawl and her travel-worn garb. And these, she knew would never do.

She needed something nicer. Far nicer. Tonight was a special night. She needed to make a statement.

Aurora chewed her lip, thinking. Most of the stores would be closed at this hour…and the princess had no money with which to buy a new gown. She would have to either make do with her thread-bare lilac bodice, or borrow one from someone else…but Belle was busy working late at the library. It would be unfair to expect the gentle librarian to lend her something on such short notice.

"Hmmm." Aurora considered aloud. "Maybe Ruby has something in my size…" She gathered her things, glanced at the clock on the wall, and slipped quickly downstairs. She had 30 minutes. Time was of the essence.

"Ruby!" She called ahead, racing down the steps in a dervish-like frenzy, and quickly arriving in the back of the diner's main entryway. The dark-haired waitress working at the counter glanced up from filling cups, and flicked an errant red streak of hair over her shoulder.

"Ruby, I need your help with something."

"Be right with you, 'Rory!" she replied, balancing the tray of drinks precariously, and deftly delivering them to table 4. She then poured some amber-colored liquid into a tumbler and slid the glass of brandy down the counter to Emma's open palm without spilling a drop.

She turned, wiped her hands on her apron, leaned against the counter and greeted the young princess with a genuine smile. "Hey, what can I do for you?"

"I was wondering if I could borrow a dress. Mine is a little…um…worn." the younger woman said, tracing a mud stain on the bodice. A small smile pulled at the corner of her mouth, as Aurora recalled that she'd earned this splotch like a badge of honor when she'd accidentally fallen into a fast-running river. Luck and strong swimming skills had allowed her to pull herself free with minor assistance.

"Hmmm." Ruby tapped her chin thoughtfully, eyes roving over Aurora's form. After a long moment, she sighed and shook her head "I'm not sure my clothes would fit you…I'm a bit taller…but if you like we can try and go shopping tomorrow with Belle. It'd be like a girl's day out!" The brunette patted her hand gently on the girl's shoulder.

The princess's heart sunk. "I really needed the dress for tonight…it was kind of important."

"What's the occasion, kid?" A voice cut in from behind, making Aurora jump akin to a frightened rabbit. Emma sidled down the bar, and took the seat closest to the pair, her brandy still in her hand. Ice cubes clinked delicately in the glassware as she took a sip. "What's the dress for?"

Aurora suddenly became fascinated with the stitch work on her hem, and picked at the dingy beading awkwardly as she felt a ruddy heat flush to her cheeks. "I have…a date. Tonight." She murmured, clearing her throat.

The blonde savior took another sip of her brandy, pretending not to notice the excited tremor of the girl's knees beneath her skirts.

"My first date."

"But…what about Phillip? Didn't you two ever date?..Err..When he was alive?" Ruby asked, cocking her head to the side and studying the princess curiously.

Aurora shook her head, chestnut colored curls shifted like water with the movement. "No, Phillip and I were betrothed…we spent time together, in a sense, but he never truly courted me."

Emma set the now empty glass down on the bar, and placed a 5 dollar bill on the counter. She nodded a silent thanks to Ruby, before turning her stoic hazel gaze on the princess. "C'mon kid, I think I have just the thing. You look to be about my size…The last guy I was with flipped a table and spilled wine on it, so I just had it dry-cleaned."

The sheriff motioned over her shoulder, not waiting for Aurora's response before striding out the door of the diner. The bell tinkled above the door as the princess raced, heart thudding, to catch up.

—x—

30 min later

—x—

Mulan was on edge. Her body seemed to vibrate with nervous energy, and the pit of her stomach felt sick and fluttery.

Warriors were not afraid to die in battle…but dying of embarrassment was a far different matter.

The delicate rose that was held between her slim fingers suddenly seemed wilted and forlorn, and Mulan found that she felt nearly naked without the comfortable heft of her father's sword sitting at her hip. Perhaps this had been a bad idea. A _very_ bad idea.

She smoothed the front of her white blouse with a nervous and sweaty palm. _Surely,_ she thought grimly_, fighting the Hun army in the high mountains had been a far easier task than this_. At least the Huns hadn't required her to wear a skirt.

The warrior took a deep breath to steady herself and steel her nerves. She gritted her teeth and firmed her resolve, before lifting her fist to knock on the door.

Knuckles wrapped out a death knell on the oaken door of the room, and a long moment passed. No answer.

Silently terror and disappointment gripped at the warrior's fragile heart. _Stood up?_ Perhaps her date had forgotten…Or had changed her mind and simply didn't want to come. This idea was stupid anyways; dating was a strange custom of this land. She was a warrior, and this was foolishness… She should have known better.

Mulan crushed the stem of the fair flower in her fist, ignoring the slicing prick of the thorns.

She was just turning to go, when a figure raced up the back stairway, and nearly collided with the broken-hearted warrior.

"Oh! I'm sorry, I didn't mean…I was with Emma and I thought I had more time…" The princess panted, as she stood leaning against the hall wall, trying to catch her breath.

Mulan stood dumbfounded, startled by Aurora's flurry of an entrance and stunned into silence by what manner of beautiful creature stood before her on the stairs.

Fair skin shone in the darkness, creamy and soft as alabaster. A vibrant blush tinged Aurora's cheeks from her exertion, making her look vivacious and alive. Dark curls hung in ringlets, cascading over her shoulders in a gorgeous curtain of satiny smoothness, pleated with a fine thin braid that wove down her left temple. Tiny teardrops of gold swayed like perched doves in her ears. Crystal blue eyes, clear as a summer sky, were lined and framed by long lashes that arched and fluttered with dark excitement.

She wore a dress of the richest wine red that caressed every curvature of her body. The depth of the color made the princess's eyes seem to spark with a palpable energy in the low light. Strapless, it swept low over the soft hollow of her collarbone, hovering elegantly over the rise of womanly cleavage and heaving bosom. It cut over the swell of her hips and hugged her bottom before ending abruptly just above the knee. The dress cloaked her form in simplistic grace, showing only enough to hint at what lay beneath the fabric's tenuous surface. It was classic, but eye catching. Powerful, but elegant.

Open-toed heels of gold adorned her feet, lacing up the leg in crisscrossing ribbons that clung like serpents to her shapely calves.

"Do you like it?" Aurora whispered, lips of crimson pulling into a hesitant smile as she stepped closer.

Mulan's head seemed to swim, and she distantly noted that the princess smelled of sweetness with the gentle tang of some spice, dark and enticing, that the warrior could not place.

"I wanted to impress you…for our date."

"Oh, Aurora…" Mulan breathed, her voice soft but throaty. The vision of beauty that stood before her certainly couldn't be possible. Surely this was a dream. A fantasy. Mulan secretly prayed she might never wake from it. Her blood seemed to thrum with excitement at the princess's closeness.

"I…I got you a flower. It reminded me of you." The warrior stammered, holding out the broken stem of the rose.

_Great. Smooth_. Mulan chastised herself, nervously running a hand through her ebony hair. "Oh…I kind of squished it a little." She frowned critically at her piteous little gift.

Aurora smiled, giggling softly, as she took the rose from Mulan's trembling grasp.

"It's beautiful." She whispered, dipping her face to inhale the rose's sweet scent.

"Yes…Yes, you are." The warrior murmured, twining her fingers into the princess's free hand before leading her gently down the stairs towards the waiting lights of the sleepy town below.

_FIN_


End file.
